Initiatives

Ending the HIV Epidemic

90/90/90/50 Plan: Ending the HIV Epidemic in the District of Columbia by 2020

The Washington AIDS Partnership has a longstanding history of collaborating with local organizations and the D.C. government to fight HIV. Between 2005 and 2014, the Partnership worked with DC Appleseed Center for Law & Justice to release report cards that evaluated the local response to the HIV epidemic and pushed for further action. The report cards contributed towards significant improvements in HIV prevention and care, but further actions were needed to move towards ending the epidemic.

90/90/90/50 Plan

As a next step in the effort, the Partnership determined that D.C. needed a concrete and detailed plan to end HIV, a collaborative effort that would develop goals around eliminating HIV in the District of Columbia. Over the course of many months, the Partnership worked with DC Appleseed; the D.C. Department of Health (DC Health); HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis, STD and TB Administration (HAHSTA); and the Mayor’s office to create a comprehensive plan to end HIV in the District.

Release of the Plan

On December 1, 2016, the plan was released in collaboration with Mayor Muriel Bowser. The 90/90/90/50 Plan: Ending the HIV Epidemic in the District of Columbia by 2020 has four overarching goals to guide the city’s efforts through 2020, along with 42 tasks that need to be implemented. It outlines specific prevention and care strategies for the D.C. government to invest in, with an intersectional approach to combating the epidemic: incorporating topics like stable housing, youth development, reducing stigma, improving treatment, and so much more. This plan is a guide for eliminating HIV in the District, and serves as a model for other cities.

Implementation and Monitoring

The Washington AIDS Partnership, DC Health, HAHSTA, and the Mayor’s office are working to implement the action steps of the plan. DC Appleseed is charged with evaluating the plan’s implementation.

In December 2018, DC Appleseed released the plan’s second annual progress report. It focused on key issues negatively impacting Washington, D.C.’s HIV epidemic and the plan’s important tasks. Progress in implementing the plan is mixed. The District is not reducing new HIV infections at a pace to reach Goal #4 below.

HIV Wellness and
Prevention Measures

2015

2016

2017

*2018 Estimated

2020 Goal

Goal #1:
90% of HIV-positive District residents know their status

86%

86%

87%

Pending

90%

Goal #2:
90% of District residents living with HIV are in treatment

73%

76%

77%

Pending

90%

Goal #3:
90% of District residents
living with HIV who are in treatment reach viral suppression (which means HIV is undetectable)

78%

82%

84%

Pending

90%

Goal #4:
50% reduction in new HIV diagnoses

401

369

368

176*

196

* Preliminary data from the first six months of 2018. If annualized, this figure would be 352.

From 2015 to 2017, new HIV infections have been reduced by only 12%. Additionally, new infections rose among young people ages 13-29 between 2016 and 2017, and constituted 41% of all new infections. This is double the national average (21%) for this age group.

The Washington AIDS Partnership is committed to helping Washington, D.C. reach the plan’s overarching goals by the end of 2020. The Partnership and DC Appleseed will continue to assess the plan’s implementation and advocate for policy and programmatic changes, and the funding necessary to end this epidemic.